T10 Teaching Temple Covenants | An Interview with Anthony Sweat

Anthony Sweat is an Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University, and previously taught Seminary and Institute for 13 years. With an early interest in art he obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts before pursuing religious education, earning a Ph.D in curriculum and instruction from Utah State University. He is the author of several articles and books dealing with the teachings and history of the Church, and a regular speaker at Latter-day Saint events and conferences. As a practicing artist his paintings center on religious themes, including underrepresented events in Church history. Anthony and his wife Cindy are the parents of seven children. He is currently serving as bishop of his ward.

Highlights

1:45 Kurt and Anthony discuss his books about the temple and covenants

4:15 What can we talk about outside the temple? Most members are scared to talk about what goes on inside the temple because they don’t know what’s appropriate.

8:30 Anthony talks about what he does as a bishop to help people get ready to go to the temple and receive their endowment.

14:20 What to focus on when teaching about the covenants made in the temple. Make sure people have a great foundation.

18:30 Most religions aren’t talking about covenants.

20:15 The order of the son of God is a covenant group of people that are given power and capacity in their lives to overcome evil, to discern between right and wrong, to call down the ministering of angels, to know how to ask and receive revelation, part the veil, etc.

23:30 Covenants guarantee the future behavior of the participants. We are not making covenants for that moment but for future moments.

24:45 Listen to your covenants more than the state of your emotions. Your covenants will tell you what to do.

28:30 How to answer people’s questions after they go through the temple. What is ok to talk about?

31:00 The five laws or major covenants of the temple

33:00 Seeing the big picture of the five laws. You are entering into an order which means that you are patterning your life after the son of God.

35:00 The first law is obedience to the law of the Lord. The law is a little different depending on the time that you are living.

36:00 The law of the gospel. Faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, and receiving the holy ghost. This law sanctifies us and purifies us.

37:25 The law of sacrifice. The release of the unholy. Letting go of the things that are keeping us back from the kingdom. It’s not about dying for the church but letting go of the natural man.

38:25 The law of chastity. It’s not just about sex. It’s about trust. Can I be trusted with power and the power to create? God is in perfect control of his power. He knows how to control his power and passion. If we want to be like him we must do the same.

42:00 The law of consecration. There is confusion between the law of consecration and the applications of the law. We are covenating to dedicate our time, talents, and means to the kingdom of God.

46:00 Part of the law of consecration is not to have to be told to do everything. We should be anxiously engaged in a good cause and do things of our own free will.

47:45 Garments are a very personal thing. As a leader you should teach the doctrine and not focus so much on the behavior. “True doctrine understood changes attitudes and behavior.” Boyd K Packer.

53:00 The temple is a house of progression. It’s a house for revelation.